Had things gone differently, Gio Gonzalez might have been on the hill for the Red Sox this weekend rather than the Nationals, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com. The Sox pursued Gonzalez aggressively when the Athletics shopped him last offseason, but balked at the huge prospect haul they would have had to give up.

Comments

Typical Boston writer.. Trade the future for patchwork(rental SP) on a team that isn’t quite good enough.

Ban the Globe writer, or take away their typewriters for 2 weeks until they cease this nonsense.. They have lester and beckett, Bucholz looking better coming off of a 4H complete game shutout.. Don’t move the future (prospects) on 3 month rentals of Hamels/grienke…

Somebody wants Ellsbury? Send him along his merry way.. Tool up for next season and play this season as it was dealt…

I am guessing Middlebrooks would have been involved in a Gio trade. Beane has wanted him for at least 2 seasons.

There was talk of expanding the deal when boston got Bailey even.. Maybe they had talks earlier (before Gonzalez was moved) regarding a large package swap and beane, we can almost guarantee was after Middlebrooks and probably Ranaudo at that time to be included.

Edit:

Future prospects are numerous.. the lower (High A and down) is loaded with possible impact talent

Exactly on people taken last season.. Way your post was worded sounded as who they had and they are 2 of the best.

Middlebrooks might be of quality, if not as good as anyone DC sent over and plays a position that has been a sore spot with Oakland for years..

Upper level is what Oakland was after.. Why they took Reddick in the Bailey deal.. The people Boston has at AAA right now is pretty much limited to Lavarnway and iglesias.. The brunt of the talent is at A ball, with only some in 2012 at AA

According to Baseball Prospectus’ preseason 101 the Red Sox had 3 prospects better than anything the Athletics got for Gonzalez. Bogaerts at 32, Jacobs at 46, and Middlebrooks at 55; AJ Cole was at 60, Peacock was at 64, Norris was at 96, and Milone wasn’t ranked. So the problem wasn’t that the Sox didn’t have the talent, the problem was that Boston wasn’t willing to give Oakland what they were looking for (that should have been evident by the fact that there was a package suggested by the Athletics that Boston rejected).

The Red Sox just don’t seem like the team that everyone fears anymore. Make no mistake about they could turn it around and prove everyone wrong but they should go out there trade and Youkilis for some prospects and set themselves up for the future instead of giving up the farm.

It’s not that people don’t fear them (they do have 1/2 an All Star team on the DL). It’s that they have no heart & no identity — the Sox teams that won in 04 & 07 were all heart & carved out their own identities. This Sox team is just blah.

Usually I don’t like these posts about teams not playing with heart since I think that any team in a playoff race (maybe with the exception of a maverick here and there) will be playing their butts off. With this comment though, I completely on board with you. I don’t know what it is, but I watch the Red Sox now and I see none of the fire in their play that existed in 2007 or 2004. I get the feeling of a last place team 40 games out just trying to play the season through. It’s really strange because they still have a good team even with some of the injuries they’ve suffered.

I mean, even if you want to say Lester/Becket don’t truly fit the mold (and that argument CAN be made rather easily), who are they going to target. What No. 1 is available? Silly sportswriters are sill.

Whats makes them think Grienke or hamels for that reason will come to boston and be a ACE. No way i would trade Middlebrooks for either when both are set to become a FREE AGENT. Ask Milwaukee if they would trade lowrie for marcum again?

I don’t know what that guy is talking about when he says they need a
consistent Daisuke. He’s one of the most consistent pitchers I’ve ever
seen. Who else will consistently nibble at the strike zone until he
loads the bases with walks AND THEN consistently fall apart and give up
several consecutive extra base hits?

When it comes down to it though, the Sox aren’t going to be getting any
help from anyone but themselves. They don’t have the prospects needed to
swing a Hamels or Marcum or Greinke deal, and even if they did, there’s
the debate as to whether or not they should trade those pieces for a
rental. The Sox and all of their writers need to face it, Beckett,
Lester, and Bucholz all need to improve and remain at a their expected
levels of performance. That’s the only way the Sox are going to have a
shot at punching their ticket to the PS.